Anyone who has ever started their own business will tell you that there comes a time when you have to move from the dining room table and into actual commercial premises of your own. Because if things are going well, it goes without saying that you will expand and employ people – and you absolutely cannot have them all working from your house. But that move into an office space is a big step – it is a huge commitment in terms of time and budget.
Your office is not just a space where you work, it is a space that needs to be furnished, networked and have operational utilities. So, without having to take out a loan, how do you go about creating the perfect office space? Here are a few tips.
Don’t feel the need to buy everything
Just because it is your office it doesn’t mean that everything in it needs to be yours as well. It is perfectly alright to rent equipment. You have to think about budget. The office is almost certainly rented to start, so why feel the need to fill it with your own assets. You can rent furniture, you can rent photocopier or electronic equipment. There is almost nothing that cannot be rented. As your business grows and shows itself to be sustainable you might want to get to a situation where you own the assets outright, but when starting off the last thing you want is long-term commitment and large lump-sum pay outs. Just rent and relax.
Second hand is good
If you are going to buy, then start by looking at second-hand stores for used office equipment. And before you dismiss the idea out of hand because you have images of cheap and nasty in your head, remember that there is a significant percentage of businesses that go under within a year of starting. And it is the furniture of those businesses whose assets have been sold by liquidators that you will be buying. So, it is generally new and almost unused, but sold cheaply to recover losses.
If you are patient, you can do well working the second-hand market.
Focus on the feel
An office is not just about the furniture and fittings that go into it, it is also about the atmosphere that you create. And creating the right atmosphere can be expensive. Beanbags or foosball tables are not cheap so don’t be tempted to go there and spend money that you don’t have. Rather spend it on plants, which are cheap and have been proven to help create relaxed and creative office spaces. A few strategically placed plants will go a long way towards creating a great feel to your space.
Hire a cleaner
At least once a week, maybe more, you should have somebody come in and clean. It might seem like an unnecessary expense, but it isn’t. More than anything, people want to work in a clean and orderly space. This applies to staff and business management and obviously it is a major factor for clients who might visit the premises as well. So, keep it clean and pay for that – you and your staff should be too busy to do it yourselves.
